{"id":68016,"date":"2018-12-05T18:06:55","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T01:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=68016"},"modified":"2018-12-05T18:06:55","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T01:06:55","slug":"have-i-made-any-effort-to-light-the-world-have-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/12\/have-i-made-any-effort-to-light-the-world-have-you.html","title":{"rendered":"Have I made any effort to “Light the World”? Have you?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Christmas<\/a>
The Accra Ghana Temple in December 2006 \u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just in case you haven\u2019t already heard the story, here\u2019s an item from the Daily Mail<\/em>, in the United Kingdom:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Everyone will die\u2019: Blood-soaked man is arrested for stabbing four during Sunday service at LDS church<\/a> in Brazil\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not a pleasant event, obviously. \u00a0But the news items in this blog entry will get better. \u00a0To some extent, anyway.<\/p>\n

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***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Some traditional attitudes among conservative Protestants have been eroding at the very time that the justification for holding them has been growing stronger:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHave most Protestants in the United States gone soft on drinking alcohol?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, however, the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> on this matter is looking better and better. \u00a0In case you missed the news from the end of the summer, I offer a couple of links:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to rethink how much booze may be too much:\u00a0Researchers are changing how they study the risks of alcohol \u2014 and it\u2019s making drinking look worse.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018safest level of drinking is none,\u2019 says alcohol study: A comprehensive worldwide study of alcohol use and its impact on health concludes that the safest level of consumption is zero.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

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***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I don\u2019t much care for this defense, but it\u2019s undeniably interesting:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIs religion better than atheism as a coping mechanism? \u00a0Unthinkable: Secular philosophies \u2018lack the melodrama of religion\u2019, says Stephen Asma\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sigh. \u00a0This is the same sort of tiresome, one-sided bilge that I occasionally read about the horrors of life within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Deconstructing My Religion\u2019 at CBS: Another tiresome diatribe on sex and evangelicals\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of you might find this of interest:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cInjured Latter-day Saint Wins 8 Medals at Invictus Games, Receives Personal Congratulations from Prince Harry\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also from England:<\/p>\n

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\u201c#LightTheWorld \u2018GIVING MACHINES\u2019 Open in London During Christmas Season\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cApostle Gives Copies of the Book of Mormon at United Kingdom Parliament\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

From Cairns, Australia, where my wife and I recently spent some time:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCairns \u2018Lights the World'\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And from the Queen\u2019s possessions to the north of me:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBillboards Across Canada Promote \u2018Light the World\u2019 Initiative\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moreover, in that same vein:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c#LightTheWorld Christmas Initiative Launches in Fiji\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFiji Sun: \u2018Light Someone\u2019s World Today, Fijians Urged'\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican Samoan Latter-day Saints #LightTheWorld\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cVIDEO: Church Leader Launches #LightTheWorld in Vanuatu on National Television: \u2018Every time we care more about other people than ourselves, we express our love to our Saviour'\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Just in case you haven\u2019t already heard the story, here\u2019s an item from the Daily Mail, in the United Kingdom: \u00a0 \u201c\u2018Everyone will die\u2019: Blood-soaked man is arrested for stabbing four during Sunday service at LDS church in Brazil\u201d \u00a0 Not a pleasant event, obviously. \u00a0But the news items in this blog entry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nHave I made any effort to "Light the World"? 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